brown ale was great

ensenada beer fest 2023

good beer

hey bro

Icono brewery

mariachi ensenada

ribeye taco

thirsty people

usual suspects

Vamanos

I was very excited to get back to the Ensenada Beer Fest (EBF) after all the Covid restrictions. We were all ready to come down in 2020, we had our tickets, our AirBnB, but everything was canceled as we all know now how our worlds were put on hold. The EBF has always been my favorite beer fest, yes even more than GABF, it’s just more fun, more of everything. Most all beer fests will last for about 4 to 5 hours, you get a commemorative taster, unlimited brews, there’s food and music, a pretty sweet deal. The EBF starts at 4 p.m. and ends at midnight. It used to start at 2 p.m. but that’s when it was only the one day, now it goes for 2 separate days, costs about $25 bucks but you do have to pay for your beers. $1 for a taster or $3 for a pint.

This year the fest expanded it’s area, the fest is held at what used to be a hotel, The Riveria, where back in Prohibition was a favorite place for movie stars and the wealthy, even Al Capone was a visitor. Now it serves as a cultural center and hosts the annual EBF. It is a grand hotel with a huge garden and this year the back parking lot was used to add more space for breweries and music stages. There’s 4 outdoor stages where different bands play all day and evening, inside the hotel are a few conference rooms for DJ’s. You can find all types of food throughout the venue, pizza, burgers, tacos, seafood, BBQ. We had a delicious ribeye taco, it seemed like they put a whole steak in mine!!

Of course the best part is the beer! My brother and I enjoyed some very tasty suds this fest. One that really stuck out to us was a brown ale, you don’t find a good brown ale in local breweries these days, it hit the spot! So much so that I just recently brewed one myself. There were a lot of newer breweries this year which is good to see. The usual big Baja breweries were also in the house but I’ll be honest and have to say I was frankly disappointed that they all were pouring their normal beers that you can drink any day in their tasting rooms. This Covid delayed EBF called for some specialty brews! Seriously. One of the highlights of going to a beer fest is to try something new, something cutting edge, experimental. I’m calling those breweries out and maybe next year we can get something that will knock my chonies off. 😂

Put the Ensenada Beer Fest on your 2024 calendar, you won’t regret it. Besides the fest, Ensenada is a great city to visit, I come down here about four times a year. Sometimes I stay in the Valle de Guadalupe, or we might stay in the El Sauzal area. The EBF is always held in March around St. Patrick’s Day another reason to celebrate!! Cheers!! Salud!!

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Last modified: May 4, 2023